Rachel J. Bennett: “The poem responds to the possibly permanent hibernation that comet lander Philae entered into on Comet 67P on Saturday November 15. I find the unfolding of 67P’s exploration extremely moving for a number of reasons, not least of which is the mirror it holds up to us, how much time and effort we pour into our lives for these brief flashes before going dark. Add to this the fact that the Rosetta orbiter still has power and continues to look for the lander with which it traveled for 10 years and you begin to feel some of what I’m feeling. ” (website)

Note: This poem has been published exclusively online as part of a new project in which poets respond to current events. A poem written within the last week about an event that occurred within the last week will appear every Sunday at Rattle.com. Our only criterion for selection is the quality of the poem, not its editorial position; any opinions expressed are solely those of the poet and do not necessarily reflect those of Rattle’s editors. To read poems from past weeks, visit the Poets Respond page. Interact on our Facebook group. To have a poem considered for next week’s posting, submit it here before midnight Friday PST.